Pages

Sunday, 6 April 2014

Not that I blame you if you're not since it's been 5 months since my last post. I come bearing chocolate - peace offering?

In fact, I made these truffles a couple of weeks after my last post; they were goodie bags for my annual Thanksgiving get together. Now this Thanksgiving "dinner" has little resemblance to the traditional celebration except for the part where lots of people come together to eat and have a good time - which is actually the most important part if you ask me! Year after year I mean for us to go round in a circle and say what we are thankful for but we're mostly too busy playing a really loud, noisy game and trying really hard to cheat. And by "we", I mean everybody else. Obviously.

It differs on the whole turkey and traditional Thanksgiving food thing. I don't like turkey and it's bad enough that I eat it at Christmas, I'm definitely not cooking or serving it at anything I host. I just don't 'get' turkey! It's so dry! Except for the dark meat but even then, there's better meats. I am on a personal mission to change the traditional British Christmas meat from turkey (dry, boring) to lamb (succulent, so tasty) and the dessert from Christmas Pudding (ewww) to Sticky Toffee Pudding (hella sweet but amazing!) - that reminds me, I have been saying I'll make and blog Sticky Toffee Pudding for literally years now. I will.

But I digress ... I guess that's what happens when I don't blog for half a year, I have LOTS to say!

Anyway, my mum reckons she reads all of my blogs and has be hassling me for a while now to update my blog because she wants something to read. I know, I know, I have suggested that books and magazines make for wonderful reading material but apparently, if I didn't write it, she doesn't really enjoy it. Mothers eh?

Well Mama, I have updated my blog. Let's see how long before you read it. Readers, I'll update you on how long it takes her to read it so that we can know once and for all if she really reads it or if it's just something for her to hassle me about (I'm pretty perfect so there's very little she gets to tell me off about).

Back to these truffles, they are wonderful! Rich and dark (just how I like my .... coffee), not usually how I like my chocolate - I'm a milk girl through and through - but these are perfect. And you know how much I LOVE the salty sweet combo!

These are easy to make but depending on how many you make, the rolling and dipping process can be time consuming. I made over a hundred of these bad boys - yup, guests ain't getting truffles again. Next time I'm going make a cake and break them all of a chunk; no dipping and rolling, no siree!

Heat dark chocolate and condensed milk in a double boiler/bain marie over medium low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir - the mixture will have a slight marshmallow texture. Stir in vanilla.

Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for two hours, until the chocolate becomes firm and workable.

Once chilled, roll in balls about 1/2 - 3/4 inches in diameter (mine were probably double that) and place on a cookie sheet or baking tray lined with grease proof paper. Place the cookie sheet containing the truffles into the freezer for 15 - 30 minutes to firm them up before you place them in the hot melted chocolate.

Melt your milk chocolate in the microwave, and then coat your truffle balls in the melted milk chocolate one by one (Put your truffle in the chocolate, retrieve with a fork - this will allow the excess chocolate to drain back into the bowl - and tap the fork lightly against the bowl to let the excess chocolate drain back).

Transfer the truffle back onto the baking sheet and sprinkle on a small amount of sea salt or whatever coarse salt you have on hand (just be sure to sprinkle on the salt while the chocolate is still soft. This will ensure the chocolate will stay on the truffle.)